“Milo, I—”

“No!” She wiped her eyes. “Sorry, Jason.”

With a curse she stomped off across the yard.

Max’s eyebrows lifted. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Are you going to go after her or are you going to be a jackass and choke?”

“Stand in for me?”

Jason cursed.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a wedding.”

“Crap!” Jayne yelled. “I forgot my veil!”

“Oh, I know where it is, here, I’ll help.” Reid ran after her, looking a little less high.

“Pictures?” Mrs. Caro said in a hopeful voice as people scattered once again across the lawn and into the house.

I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. My sole purpose was to find Milo, kiss the hell out of her, and apologize.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

MILO

I ran blindly through the house, my heart pounding against my chest as I tried to catch my breath.

Asshole.

I was sick of it—sick of being the girl he used to prove he was still in full possession of his balls. It felt like a pissing war. Like Colton was only using me to prove that he was the better man. Was I some prize he needed to win in order to prove his manhood? Did he think I was made of steel? That I had no feelings whatsoever? Even if everything I’d said had been true—even if I had really been with Max—the fact that Colton still thought it was okay to kiss me whenever the hell he felt like it?

It felt like he owned me.

And I hated that truth.

Because it meant he had all the power.

And I was just the type of girl to pine over him for the rest of my life—unless I cut him out.

Without a second thought, I went into the guest bedroom at the end of the hall and pulled open the door to the attic.

An old memory surfaced with each step my heels took on the stairs.

“I got the dragon, Milo!” Colton yelled. “Don’t worry, I got him.”

“Colt.” I shivered in my box castle. “I’m afraid.”

“Don’t worry, Princess!” he shouted. “I brought my sword—dragons are terrified of wooden swords, you know.”

“Really?” I perked up. That was nice to know. “Hey, Colt?”

“Yeah, Milo?”

“Does the wood sword ward off mean girls too?”

He was silent. “It scares off everything bad in the whole world, Milo. I promise.”

“Colt?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for slaying the dragon.”

“It’s my job.” His reply was swift, easy, as if it were real.

But it hadn’t been real, not at all. Because if he’d truly meant it, if my reality was that he would slay all the dragons—then he wouldn’t keep hurting me. The hero isn’t supposed to hurt the girl, he’s supposed to save her. For my entire life Colton had made me believe he was the hero out to save me, not only because it was his job, but because he wanted to, because he felt something.

Clearly he felt nothing.

Emotions clogged my throat as I reached the top of the stairs. The box castle looked exactly the same. The wooden sword was lying across the floor, and the stupid hat I used to wear was lying next to it.

With a curse I grabbed the hat, put it on, then grabbed the sword and started using it to knock the boxes over.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” I swung as hard as I could.

“What the hell are you doing?” a calm voice said behind me.

I didn’t stop.

“Milo—”

“Leave me alone, Colt!”

“I would.” His arms came around me. “But you’re doing it all wrong.”

“What?” My hands dropped, the wooden sword clattered to the floor. “Doing what wrong?”

“That’s not how you storm a castle.”

I shook my head. I would not laugh; I refused to smile. That’s what Colton did! He got so far underneath my skin that even if I was contemplating jumping out the window or stabbing him in the eye with a toothpick—one word from him and I was suddenly on cloud nine.

“Not this time,” I mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Hi-ya!” I karate-elbowed him or whatever the hell it’s called, grabbed the sword, and started swinging wildly in his direction.

“Put the sword down, Milo.”

“No!” I tapped him in the shoulder with it and took a stance. “Leave me alone! Go back to Jenna!” I was getting no points for maturity. That much was true. I swatted him again. “I’m serious, Colt, leave me alone!”

“No, damn it!” He grabbed the sword from my hand, but I refused to let go, meaning I slammed across his chest so hard that I lost my breath.

“I said let go.” I stomped on his foot.

He winced, but held me firmly. “I’m not leaving you.”

“That’s just the thing,” I whispered, my eyes searching his. “You always do.” I shrugged. “I can’t do this anymore, Colt. I can’t live in this fantasy. I’m not in the castle, you don’t slay dragons for me anymore. This . . .” I looked around. “Isn’t real.”

“The hell it isn’t.” His hands went around my face. “Tell me this isn’t real—what we have. What we’ve always had. Tell me it’s not real and I’ll walk.”

“You’d do that?” I choked. “You’d leave me?”